Development policies

The objectives of this course consist in enhancing students' ability to: understand and interpret the process of economic development and underdevelopment; consolidate their understanding of those elements of basic economic theory as applied to the problems of development; identify the key determinants of economic growth and development, with an emphasis on the distinction between proximate and deeper causes; and analyze how development policies can foster the long-term growth performance and the development path of a country, focusing on contemporary debates and challenges at stake.

The course is intended to lead the student to:
- (judgment) develop an analytical method of thought in order to critically assess contemporary process of economic development and learn to evaluate choices and policies made by policy makers in order to foster development;
- (knowledge and understanding) consolidate the fundamental concepts of development economics and the rationales for different tools and policies adopted in the process of economic growth and development; gain adequate knowledge of the main stylized facts of economic development and growth of different nations in the world, focusing on the effects of the adopted policies in historical perspective and in contemporary debates;
- (ability to apply knowledge and understanding) possess the tools in order to identify and interpret the most critical issues in development dynamics in low and middle income economies and the causes of divergence among economic systems on the ground of key structural and contextual characteristics and of their significance for economic and human development.